Alumni in the News

Kara Goldin has received many awards and titles. She was selected to be one of eleven women for Fortune’s 2011 "Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs," and one of Ernst and Young’s "Entrepreneurial Winning Women” in 2012. In 2015, Goldin was selected as winner of the Marketers That Matter award for Brand Building Small Company. The Huffington Post also named her as one of six disruptors in business alongside Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg.

From technology and talent recruitment to public relations, three Arizona State University alumni have discovered how entrepreneurship is elevated through human communication. Nineteen organizations were honored with the Sun Devil 100 award for demonstrating innovation, growth and entrepreneurial spirit. Among the winners included three communication majors — Charles “Reagan” Jackson, Jennifer Kaplan and Kathleen Duffy Ybarra — from the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Jon Rahm, Communication B.A. 2012,won the prestigious Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award, becoming the second ASU student to receive the honor. Recent Arizona State University graduate and member of the Sun Devil golf team

The award, presented by Barbasol, recognizes top players at the all Division levels of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and the National Junior College Athletic Association. Only four other players, includinging Rahm, from across the country have been recognized. ASU alumnus Phil Mickelson, who has won more than 40 events on the Professional Golfers' Association Tour, previously received the award three times from 1990 to 1992.

Rahm arrived in the U.S.in 2012 from Barrika, Spain. Facing a language barrier and unfamiliar life on the Tempe campus, Rahm embraced his challenges. He became a member of the SunDevil golf team and become one of the team’s most successful players.

Hugh Downs School of Human Communication PhD alumnus featured in video series

Dr. Timothy Huffman, PhD in Communication, recently appeared in a Saint Louis University Mission in Motion video interview. This Office for Mission and Identity video series presents stories from around the SLU community of how people are affected the the university's values or how the live out their values within their context. Huffman, assistant professor of communication at SLU, talks about how SLU's mission interacts with students sharing fellowship with homeless neighbors in the area.

Saint Louis University (http://www.slu.edu) is a Catholic, Jesuit institution that values academic excellence, life-changing research, compassionate health care, and a strong commitment to faith and service. Founded in 1818, the University fosters the intellectual and character development of more than 13,000 students on two campuses in St. Louis and Madrid, Spain. Building on a legacy of nearly 200 years, Saint Louis University continues to move forward with an unwavering commitment to a higher purpose, a greater good.

HDSHC alum named director of the NCAA Sports Science Institute

Dr. John Parsons, HDSHC alum, has been named the new director of the NCAA Sports Science Institute. He graduated in 2009 from the Hugh Downs School doctoral program in Communication with Dr. Steve Corman serving as his program chair. Parsons has spent more than two decades studying, practicing and teaching sports medicine and athletic training at A.T. Still University. His enthusiasm for and experience shaping sports medicine policy was a primary reason why he acquired his Ph.D. in communication from ASU. More information about Dr. John Parsons

Jill Schiefelbein (M.A. 2006, B.A. 2004)

Jill Schiefelbein, alum and instructor with The Hugh Downs School, released a new book about interview and media skills for athletes. More information about The Athlete's Media Playbook.

Schiefelbein has been selected as the keynote speaker at Mohave Community College's 2013 Learning and Teaching with Technology Expo in December. She was also the keynote speaker at the 2013 Paradise Valley Community College Employee Convocation and the featured speaker at the Teaching Professor Technology Conference in Atlanta, GA. Schiefelbein's presentations are about the intersection of communicaiton, technology, and the human touch in education.

HDSHC alumni to receive scholarship awards at NCA

Dr. Karma Chávez, Ph.D. 2007, has been selected to receive the 2013 Karl R. Wallace Memorial Award at the NCA convention. This award is 'given to foster and promote philosophical, historical, or critical scholarship in rhetoric and public discourse, as described by NCA. The award is presented to scholars who have completed the Ph.D. within the past 10 years or who are well advanced in doctoral studies in rhetoric and public address. Dr. Chávez is presently an assistant professor of Rhetoric, Politics, and Culture in the Department of Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

ASU alum Dr. Dustin Goltz, Ph.D. 2008, will also receive the Lilla A. Heston Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Interpretation and Performance Studies. The Heston Award is given for outstanding published research and creative scholarship in interpretation and performance studies. The 2012 recipient was HDSHC alum Ragan Fox. Dr. Goltz is currently an assistant professor at DePaul University in Chicago.

HDSHC doctoral program alumni receive top NCA awards

Dr. Kendra Knight and Dr. Amy Way, 2012 doctoral program graduates, have both been selected to receive the 2013 NCA Gerald R. Miller Outstanding Dissertation Award. The last time that NCA awarded two dissertation awards to graduates of one program in the same year was in the mid-eighties.

NCA's Dissertation Award program was created in 1970 to recognize new scholars who had recently completed their dissertation. The Miller Award is presented for the most outstanding dissertation completed in the field during the previous academic year (July 1 through June 30).

Dr. Knight's dissertation investigated the influence of heterosexual spouses' response thresholds (i.e., the point at which one is sufficiently disturbed by a task left undone so as to feel compelled to attend to it) and beliefs about housework (e.g., "it's easier to just do it myself than argue about it") on domestic labor allocation and dyadic conflict patterns. The dissertation was chaired by Jess Alberts, with Laura Guerrero and F. Scott Christopher (School of Social and Family Dynamics) as committee members. Dr. Knight is presently an assistant professor in the Department of Communication at Christopher Newport University in Virginia.

Dr. Way's dissertation project explored how discourses at interpersonal, organizational and societal levels, impact and influence youth's identity construction processes. Her dissertation committee members included Dr. Angela Trethewey, chair, and Drs. Sarah Tracy and Marcy Karin (Sandra Day O' Connor School of Law). Dr. Way is presently an assistant professor in the Department of Communication at Villanova University.

Jill Schiefelbein (M.A. 2006, B.A. 2004)

Jill Schiefelbein, instructor and alum, launched a national talk radio show on April 2, 2013, "Communication Nation", airing on VoiceAmerica World Talk Radio Network. The show expands the understanding of different communication practices and how they affect day-to-day business operations and relationships.

Jill also participated in the 13th Annual NFL Players Networking Event on February 2, 2013 in New Orleans, LA. This NFL-sanctioned Super Bowl 47 event is designed to help both active and former NFL players in their transition from players to post-football-careers.

Rebecca Borgesen (B.A. 2006)

The Phoenix office of Grant Thornton LLP, the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International, is pleased to announce Rebecca Borgesen as its marketing specialist. In this role, she will be responsible for all strategic marketing planning, internal/external marketing communications, media relations, brand building/management, internet marketing, advertising, promotions market analysis, and strategic brand partnerships for the Phoenix office. She will also work in partnership with regional and national marketing teams on brand-wide initiatives. Borgesen brings nearly a decade of strategic marketing experience to the firm. Borgesen is a Phoenix resident.

Jennifer Scarduzio (Ph.D. 2012) will be a tenure-track assistant professor of organizational communication at Lamar University teaching their senior capstone organizational communication course, corporate training and development, and interpersonal communication, among others. According to their website, “Lamar University is a Carnegie Doctoral Research University and home to more than 14,000 students. It is one of the fastest growing universities in Texas and is a member of The Texas State University System. LU offers more than 100 programs of study leading to bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. The 270-acre campus in Beaumont is about 90 miles east of Houston.”

Kurt Lindemann (Ph.D. 2006)

The CSU Office of the Chancellor and Sony Electronics, Inc. in partnership with Intel Corporation recently awarded San Diego State University communication professor Kurt Lindemann (Ph.D. 2006) the Sony Electronics Faculty Award for Innovative Instruction with Technology. “Lindemann received the award for his instruction and design of COMM 103: Oral Communication, which is a requirement for all undergraduate students at San Diego State University. The award was granted due to his innovative use of Twitter, Facebook and iClicker—a classroom response system in which each student has their own remote to answer questions.” Read more.

Jill Schiefelbein (M.A. 2006, B.A. 2004)

Jill Schiefelbein celebrated the official grand opening of her company, Impromptu Guru, on February 10, 2012. Impromptu Guru, a Phoenix-area communication consulting company, works with individuals, small groups, and businesses. Whether it is through public speaking or mediated speaking coaching, corporate communication training, or individualized one-on-one communication consultations, Impromptu Guru provides solutions to your communication challenges. Visit Schiefelbein online at impromptuguru.com. Impromptu Guru: Speak Well. Any Time. Every Time.